hankyoreh

A 42-year-old self-employed man, identified by his surname, Lee, is a member of the so-called ‘remote control tribe.’ He eats, drinks, sleeps, and even brushes his teeth in front of his television set. When she caught his five-year-old daughter imitating her father’s actions one day, Lee’s 39-year-old wife, Jo, was stunned.

With her husband acting as a bad influence on her daughter - not to mention the toll it had taken on her married life - Jo asked for a divorce. Shocked into reaction, Lee sought counseling; the marriage was saved. Lee’s television addiction has since been treated by mental health professionals.

A 42-year-old housewife, identified by her surname, Kim, is currently fighting a similar battle with her husband, who practically lived in front of the television set. As the husband shouted at the children when they disturbed him from watching television, she threw their television in the garbage. But her husband is still watching television via his mobile phone.

The Internet is another draw for such entertainment-addictive personalities, giving birth to a ‘cyber cocoon tribe’ of husbands. A 38-year-old officer worker, identified as Mr. Kim, is an online game addict, his cyber game peers mostly teenagers. The teenagers are surprised whenever they learn Kim’s age. His wife has no choice but to acknowledge the husband’s game mania for the sake of ‘family peace,’ as her husband does nothing to contribute to the household besides working.

Park, a 33-year-old housewife, has a daily routine of fighting with her husband over his online game obsession. "I’m upset whenever I see my husband playing computer games," Park said.

There are a growing number of husbands in their 30s and 40s obsessed with computer gaming. These men are more comfortable with being alone than being with their family. In their 20s, they started playing online network games such as The Sons of Dangun, before the Internet was born in the early 1990s, as well as the still-popular Starcraft and Lineage. This generation was also the one hardest hit by the 1997-98 Asian financial crisis, which experts say might have sought these men to seek some sort of stable community, thus contributing to the growth of this ‘cocoon tribe,’ as these men were forced to frequently switch jobs in the midst of the financial turmoil.

With their husbands hooked on computer games, the housewives are depressed due to their husbands’ lack of dialogue with themselves and their children.

Konkuk University professor Ha Ji-hyeon said, "A housewife’s general idea of rest is to further cultivate her relationship with her husband, but a husband generally wants to take a rest by himself in a cave." As the husband is under pressure from his authoritative company atmosphere and a family that is obsessed with the children’s education, the husband wants to have a ‘room of one’s own,’ according to Ha. "If a husband continually watches television programs at home, it may be a protective measure."

Ewha Womans University [sic] professor Ham In-hui said, "While a mother’s role is strengthened at home because of [the emphasis placed on children’s education], a father doesn’t have a new mission." Theoretically, a father wants to seek solace by himself. Some fathers ignore their families, while others devote themselves by sending money to their children studying overseas, according to Ham.

Please direct questions or comments to [englishhani@hani.co.kr]